Tonight Cannot be my Last Night
by RegalChromaggia69
Summary: Before Blind Mag could even gouge her eyes out, she saw her god daughter smiling innocently from the crowd...  This was for my English class. IT comes from the main document I wrote it on, no changes.


Turner 8

Ashley Turner

Ms. Limoges

English II

30 January 2012

Tonight Cannot Be My Last Performance

It was one hour until show time. One hour until her final performance. She had one _hour_ to live. Blind Mag, the voice of GeneCo and the world's best selling soprano, sat at her vanity, looking at her reflection. Her face was hot with tears and her nose was red while her bionic blue eyes glowed in the dimness the room had given. Mag had continued to stare numbly at her reflection. The numbness overwhelmed her body from the sorrow that had taken over. She had just met her god daughter for the first time in seventeen years. Shilo's father kept her away from Mag since his wife, Marni and Mag's best friend, died.

Mag feigned a smile at herself for all of the hardship she had been through. Just as light was shining in the dark cave of her pitiful life, a storm cloud rolled in and darkened the hope that glimmered. She had to die. She knew she did. She was the one who wanted to "retire" from GeneCo. Mag also knew the consequences. There would no longer be Blind Mag, only a dead corpse with no eyes who never got to live her life. She loved Marni with all of her heart and the unborn child she had carried. She was more than ecstatic that she was going to be the little girl's god mother. But Nathan, her husband, had ripped every little drop of happiness away from Mag. Leave it to Mag to meet someone she would actually want to live for when she, herself, was going to die. Words could not express the hell she had been through, the darkness that had enclosed her. Being blind was better than this. She would rather be blind again and she would do so in her version of Chromaggia. Having nineteen years of experience in the being blind department helped her greatly. The future wasn't any better and she regretted being given the gift of sight. The year 2056 was worse than the past, not better and barely improved in technology.

"Blind Mag, please take the stage!" Mag could hear the announcer summoning her to be on the stage: To make her last performance, be blind again, die, and then be _free_. She frantically looked around her dressing tent for the silver talons she would wear with her costume for the performance. Mag found them next to her hair clip on the vanity. These were the very talons she would use to gouge out the mechanical GeneCo marked eyes. She quickly backed up and looked at herself in the mirror to make sure everything was okay. Her outfit was composed of a black corset with red and black feathers jutting out heavily at both ends. It also was very short and revealing making her feel uncomfortable. She hated that Rotti, her boss and the founder of GeneCo, forced her to wear such things. She scoffed at him for a minute before smoothing down her long, dark brown hair that cascaded smoothly down her arms and back. She used the clip to put her hair up. She usually hated it up like this, but naturally, Rotti insisted.

Mag took one last glance at herself before running onto the stage to start her song. In an opera tone, she bellowed out her angelic voice, hushing the wild crowd. "Tanto tempo fa.  
>Un uccello fatale di nome, Chromaggia. Incrociò in volo la freccia di un, arciere. Lungo le coste di lava. Per anni, pensando di essere, inseguita, scappò dalla freccia. Chromaggia, Chromaggia, perché non affronti il pericolo? La freccia era legata all'ala. E lei volva per liberarsene. Tirando la freccia. Altri son ferriti per mia colpa, mia colpa." She stopped her song and viewed the crowd as the music played, taking in one last glance of the people around her. Before turning around to hook onto the wire, she saw Shilo's innocent face smile sweetly at her. Mag's eyes filled with fear: she couldn't go on with her plan. She didn't want the young girl to see her god mom rip the eyes right out of her head. She couldn't die now, not when Shilo was here.<p>

Mag spun around, hooking herself onto the wire, and bellowed out again. "Giú! Verso la bocca del diavolo! La sua freccia, I miei occhi. Chromaggia, come take these eyes...!" She raised her hands up to express the emotion in her words. "I would rather be… _blind_!" She brought the sharp talons closer to her eyes, stopping short. Mag dropped her arms and waited as the crowd cheered for her. She couldn't believe her plan failed. What will happen to her now? Surely a Repo man will come and she'll pay for her surgery. Panic struck her body as she smiled and shakily walked off the stage.

"What do you call that?" Mag stopped short and turned to see Rotti glaring at her with ice cold eyes. "Blind Mag isn't supposed to choose her own songs. What do you call this?"

"I wasn't expecting Shilo to be here. You probably knew I had _something_ planned." Mag answered, her voice was quiet, paling in comparison to what she had just sung. His body-piercing stare sent shivers down her spine. Everything could end right now if he wanted it to.

"What were you planning? You weren't planning to _ruin_ anything, were you?"

Mag's eyes widened, "Of course not, Rotti. I-I would never-"

"Shut up! Just get dressed and leave." He commanded with a harsh tone. As he started to walk off various thoughts swarmed Mag's head.

"What will happen to me?" Mag took a step forward, almost colliding with him when he turned back around.

"I said _leave!_" He slapped Mag hard on the cheek before walking off with a satisfied grunt.

Her eyes welled in tears. She hated that her emotions were so fragile where one little thing can break the thin shield. She sniffed her nose before walking back to her tent to change. She didn't know what to do. She had to wait. She had to wait to die. Any minute, every shadow. Everything was even more sinister than it was before. When she entered the tent, she decided on what she was going to do. Mag figured she could go the Wallace's house and say one last goodbye to her goddaughter.

"Shilo, can I talk to you?" Mag pressed the intercom on the Wallace's gate hoping that the young girl would consider coming down. She waited for the gate to open. When it didn't, she sighed and turned around to leave. "Goodbye, Shilo." She whispered under her breath. Before she was able to open the door to her limo, the gate slowly creaked open. She turned around just in time to see a pair of blue glowing eyes dart in the shadows from the corner of her eye.

She let out a shaky breath before running up to the porch. Lucky for her, Shilo had opened the mansion's doors just as Mag hit the landing. "Thank you, Shi. I'm glad that you let me in." She turned around and looked down to see the teenager nod in acknowledgement. Mag couldn't help but smile even though her breaths were short and heavy.

"What's out there?" Shilo asked a hint of worry entered the young girl's voice.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You practically ran in here like you were running for your life- Oh my god, Mag. The Repo man is out there looking for you now, isn't he?"

"So you've figured it out?" The singer sighed and walked over to the staircase to sit. "I didn't want you to have to worry about me. I know I brought myself to come here and meet you even though my eyes would be repossessed."

"My father won't be very happy that you're here, though."

"She's right. I don't want to go to jail for harboring a refugee in my house." Nathan's voice rang through the foyer. He came up behind his daughter and looked at the woman who was sitting on his stairs. "So if you wouldn't mind leaving. I know how harsh those Genecops can get."

"Nate, please, I just wanted to say goodbye to Shilo." Mag got up from the stairs and headed towards her goddaughter.

"Fine, one goodbye and you're out of here."

"You can't just let her die, Dad!" Shilo cried as she grabbed Mag's arm.

Nathan grunted in irritation, "No, I can't, but I _have_ to."

"This was why your father never became a missionary." Mag taunted the man before her. "Although, I don't think it's so safe to just say that to you right now. But you are trying to throw me out, so it's not like I care."

"I love you, Mag." Nathan chuckled. "You always brightened my day. I suppose you can stay for a little while longer." He stopped trying to advance forward and looked softly at his long lost friend.

"Thank you, Nathan." Mag jumped over to him and gave him a hug. She pulled slightly away and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Pulling away completely, she straightened out her cloak, "I'm sorry about that."

"Why is your cheek red?" Nathan examined, lightly gliding his fingertips on her cheek, where her once porcelain white skin had turned red, contrasting it from her face.

"Rotti slapped me before I came here." Mag admitted taking a step away. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink. She didn't want anyone knowing that Rotti abuses her.

"Why would he do that?"

"He's done more unspeakable things to me than you could ever imagine!" She muttered. "He almost _raped_ me if it wasn't for some Repo man coming into his office with the new delivery. I'm glad he ordered _that_ pizza or else I wouldn't have my innocence that I have today."

Nathan stared at her blankly. He realized that he saved her the heartache and terror of being raped. No one else knew, besides the Largos, that he was a Repo man. He had no choice to become one after his wife had died and Shilo was born. He was accused of killing Marni, although what he didn't know was that Rotti poisoned the medicine he gave her. "I-I wish I could tell you this, but I can't…" Nathan sighed.

"What are you talking about, Nate?" Mag asked, concerned for her friend.

"Shilo, can you go to your room?" He turned to his daughter and forced a smile.

"Okay, Dad." Shilo looked at her father in confusion before bouncing up the stairs to her room.

"Mag, I'm a Repo man."

"You-you're a what!" Mag wearily backed away.

"Rotti was the one who gave me the job to repossess you." He lowered his head in shame.

"N-no…" Mag backed up further, falling backwards as she tripped on the staircase. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "Not you… no Nathan… no… no…" She shook her head repeatedly as more tears streamed down her face.

"I declined, Maggie. I couldn't do it." He took a few steps forward and extended his arm, "You're my friend too."

"I feel… betrayed…" She wiped her eyes, streaking the black make-up that coated them across her face.

"Please don't… I-I had no choice." He admitted with rejection in his voice.

Mag looked up into his eyes which showed sincerity. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I'm just so… fragile. I'm sorry…"

"I understand that, dear." He reached out his hand again. Mag accepted it this time and grabbed a hold. "You can stay," he grabbed her close for an embrace. "I will protect you," he whispered into her ear.

"Thank you Nathan," she replied with a shaky voice. Nathan looked sorrowfully at his friend, running his fingers through her thick, brown hair. She closed her eyes, clutching the sides of her dress as he traced her jaw lightly with his fingertips, wiping away stray tears. A loud knock sounded at the door, startling the two. "They're here," Mag choked, "you should run. They want me."

"Whatever will happen, I will be here for you. Don't forget about that, Magdalene." With his hand still placed on her face, he leaned in and passionately gave her a kiss. Pulling away, he mumbled his last words before the door was kicked open, "I love you, _forever and always_."


End file.
